[OU]-Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep

[Acklow]

Greetings!

I don’t usually do a lot of RMTs, but quite recently I’ve found a lot of success running this team on Pokemon Online. I’m usually able to win 75% of my battles, and I believe that if I were to check my rating, I would be around 1400-1500 or more.


This team was built around three or four weeks back, with the help of my good friend, HD. When he and I went over the original team, which featured a lead Specs-Moltres, he suggested that I take out Moltres and work with an offensive variant of Sub-Roost Zapdos instead. So we went to work on that. This team is meant to set up a Kingdra sweep, making sure that any Steel types in its way are taken out of the picture. After most Steels are removed, it is safe for me to get Kingdra in and start sweeping.

The theme of this team is based on Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep, because it is the latest game in the franchise and features wonderful graphics and game-play. It also has an awesome storyline and has a lot of depth to the characters and to the battle system. Without any further ado, I present to you:

Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep​

At a glance…

I won’t get into team building process because this team went through some major changes, so now onto the actual team:

Forretress (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP/4 Def/252 SpDef
Careful nature (+SpDef,-SpAtk)
- Payback/Gyro Ball
- Rapid Spin
- Spikes
- Stealth Rock​

Introduction: Forretress is my lead. He usually is able to get Stealth Rock up, and on the occasion Spikes. Usually, people don’t run a Rapid Spinner or I usually take theirs out, so getting hazards up isn’t too difficult. Using this as a lead means that I need to be careful with it and only bring it out when I absolutely need to.

Moveset Evaluation: Forretress has an interesting movepool, and the fact he can lay down all entry hazards is an automatic plus. I bring in Forretress mainly to set up Stealth Rock, and on the occasion, spikes.
This in turn helps my team greatly, because it wears down the opponent’s Heatran and other grounded Pokemon quite easily. Payback is the main form of retaliation, allowing me to hit Ghosts hard.
Gyro Ball is for STAB and will hurt Tyranitar and other Pokemon quite easily.
Rapid Spin is obviously meant to get opposing hazards out of the way, because this team likes to switch a lot.

Summary: Forretress works very well as my rapid spinner. I’ve tried different spinners, and none really get the job done like Forretress.
He also takes up the role of setting up hazards and overall team support. He also takes any status that the opposing team may have for me.
And he really doesn’t mind status, as long as he finished his job.

Riku and Forretress wouldn’t really pair up really well, but I do so in this instance because both get the job done. They are both “sturdy” and don’t let others’ actions get too much in the way.

Flygon (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Atk, -SpAtk)
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Uturn
- Thunderpunch​

Introduction: Choice Scarf Flygon is a great pokemon, allowing me to take care of Electric types and Gyarados with ease. In addition to that, she pairs up with Tyranitar in the Revenge-killing business.

Moveset Evaluation: Flygon's moveset is meant to take on Pokemon who otherwise give this team trouble. Thus, the filler slot has Thunderpunch so that I can hit Water types hard.
Uturn is obviously for scouting.
Outrage is for STAB and late-game sweeping, clearing out the opponent's final ranks.
Earthquake is also STAB, letting me deal with Tyranitar, Infernape, Heatran, and other pokemon weak to it.

Summary: Flygon was suggested to me by Faladran and so far has been working pretty decently.


Flygon is an equivalent to Kairi because they both are female. Right, of course I'm not changing the pic after this took Roserade's spot..

Tyranitar (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd,-SpAtk)
- Crunch
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge​

Introduction: Tyranitar is my Ghost killer and my overall revenger, next to Roserade that is. Both complement each other when it comes to revenging. It takes on Pokemon that Heatran and Roserade would be unable to otherwise handle. It also takes out many Azelf and Uxie leads.

Moveset Evaluation: Crunch is obviously there to hit Ghosts, Psychic and other non-resisting Pokemon hard.
Earthquake deals with Electric types and Heatran.
Pursuit puts those Ghosts and Psychics into a checkmate position
(they usually stay in, so I will Pursuit if they decide to switch, but if I guess right, they may stay in).
Stone Edge is the main STAB in this entire set, hitting everything, even stuff that resists it, hard.

Summary: I don’t have much to say other than Tyranitar does its job and I wouldn’t replace it for another lead.
I do admit I have used Spiritomb as my Ghost/Psychic killer before, but the Sandstorm and power that Tyranitar bring to the table are too good to pass up.

Tyranitar and Terra pair up perfectly. Both love to use earthen based moves, and both are adept at using dark powers.
Tyranitar even has the power that Terra has.

Heatran (M) @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Spd/252 SpAtk/4 SpDef
Timid nature (+Spd,-Atk)
- Dragon Pulse/Hidden Power Electric
- Earth Power
- Explosion
- Fire Blast​

Introduction: Heatran is just amazing. His versatility means that an unexpected set like this can get away with quite a bit.

Moveset Evaluation: Now don’t be too surprised. You don’t usually see a Life Orb Heatran running a Shuca Berry instead of Life Orb. This combination means I get the upper hand when facing any Heatran. The Speed, Power, and ferocity this moveset has, means that I can even overpower Tormentran, and that, in itself, is a feat.
This thing can take on almost any variant of Heatran with ease, provided it comes in fresh at 80% or higher (which is the case with most Heatran anyways).
Fire Blast is the main STAB.
It hits everything, I mean everything, really, really hard (except opposing Heatran). Earth Power takes on other Heatran, and it usually OHKOs Scarf and Life Orb variants. Dragon Pulse acts as coverage, OHKOing Flygon on the switch.
It also takes Kingdra who think they can come in and set up. Explosion badly hurts anything that Heatran would otherwise have trouble with, like Swampert or Vaporeon or Suicune. It also gives me a free switch to Roserade who loves to spit out leaves at the three I just mentioned.
It also loves taking on Gliscors, so Heatran has a pal in that nature. I may run HP Electric if I feel that I don’t need a way of taking out enemy Flygon, just so I can catch Gyarados on the switch.

Summary: Heatran is a staple on almost all teams. If your team lacks Heatran, you better have a way of dealing with opposing Heatran/Fire types.
Heatran runs very well on my team. I wouldn’t take him out because he is a vital member to the team.

Sora and Heatran are both versatile. In the original Kingdom Hearts, this guy was the guy you controlled, so obviously he needed to be able to do everything you wanted him to do, and Heatran is exactly the same.

Rotom-? @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: ? HP/? Spd/? SpAtk
Bold nature (+Spd,-Atk)
- Thunderbolt/Discharge
- Will-o-Wisp
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power Fighting​

Introduction: Right now, I'm having some slight difficulties deciding which Rotom-(H/W) set I should utilize.

Moveset Evaluation: Still working on this.

Summary: Rotom was suggested by Faladran. It is still needing to be tested thoroughly.

Ventus and Rotom share attributes. Both are fast and hit hard (not as hard as Terra, but hard nevertheless). They patch up the weaknesses of those around them and are just great overall.

Kingdra (F) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk,-SpAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Rest
- Waterfall​

Introduction: The star of the show, Kingdra is a Pokemon that I do enjoy using every now and then. It’s resistance to fire means it can come in against Heatran with ease and set up a DD or two. Once a water type comes in, expecting Kingdra to drop out, I’ll Outrage, cause I’m just gutsy that way.

Moveset Evaluation: Yep. This is it. Chesto-Rest Kingdra (Lum used instead of Chesto, of course). You set up as many DDs as you can, Rest off any damage, and sweep. This thing is so easy to use, any noob who is reading this article ought to use it if they don’t know what to use.
In fact, almost anything that DDs is really easy to use. Kingdra patches up the last of my weakness (a glaring one that is) in the form of Bulky Waters (when Rosy’s gone), and Infernape. Dragon Dance is the crux of the set, allowing me to boost those semi-offensive stats and turning Kingdra into that offensive monster everyone talks about every now and then. One thing I wish this thing would have is Aqua Jet (which would be awesome).
But of course, you have to work with what you got. Anyways, Waterfall is the STAB, hitting everything hard.
Outrage takes on anything that resists Waterfall and is a plain mean move. Rest is for the recovery of status if there happens to be any.
Of course, Kingdra is highly unlikely to stay alive for two turns of sleep unless you are really lucky…like me. =D

Summary: Kingdra is one of those Pokemon that I personally like when it get’s set up. However, it’s a real nuisance when you know that had Kingdra had that 1 DD it would be beating whatever just beat it. So this is another Pokemon that could potentially get the boot, if somebody has any suggestions.

Aqua and Kingdra are identical…almost…Aqua was the last character I played, so I guess you could say Kingdra is in a way the same because she’s the last Pokemon I play on my team. Kingdra also hits hard and fast, and Aqua shares that trait, except in the form of Magical prowess. Plus Aqua is my favorite in the series next to Roxas.

That’s my team! Anywho, rate, grape, rape, destroy, pillage, whatever you want with this thing. I’ll get a threat list as soon as I’m done getting a decent amount of rest.

 

[Acklow]

1st Bump...Nobody's got anything? Wow...>_>

 

[undisputed]

Hey acklow.

good team you have. The first thing I would suggest is changing Forretress to a bulky water type like Suicune and then giving Heatran Stealth Rock over HP Electric. Suicune will allow you to switch into Heatran easily, and will also give you more of a defensive backbone for this team. Also, I'd change HP Ice to toxic on Zapdos, because Sub roost is a monster. On Sub roost, run Max HP and Speed, and your good to go.

Good luck!

 

[sithsniper17]

I just have one little thing to change on Heatran. Fire Blast does have the raw power, but only 5-8 uses with 85% accuracy is a little too shaky. Flamethrower, while slightly less powerful, is a lot more consistent and reliable. If you do decide to change it to Flamethrower, a Modest nature would help offset the loss in power.

And I do like the Kingdom Hearts BBS theme :D

 

[Acklow]

Hey acklow.

good team you have. The first thing I would suggest is changing Forretress to a bulky water type like Suicune and then giving Heatran Stealth Rock over HP Electric. Suicune will allow you to switch into Heatran easily, and will also give you more of a defensive backbone for this team. Also, I'd change HP Ice to toxic on Zapdos, because Sub roost is a monster. On Sub roost, run Max HP and Speed, and your good to go.

Good luck!

I'll test out Suicune and see how I like it. As for Toxic, I'm not too sure of...I'll give it a try, but right now, HP Ice is a very valuable move for Zapdos.

I just have one little thing to change on Heatran. Fire Blast does have the raw power, but only 5-8 uses with 85% accuracy is a little too shaky. Flamethrower, while slightly less powerful, is a lot more consistent and reliable. If you do decide to change it to Flamethrower, a Modest nature would help offset the loss in power.

And I do like the Kingdom Hearts BBS theme :D

I'd have to say that I prefer Fire Blast for a few reasons:
Like you said, if I run Flamethrower, that means I have to run Modest. I rather have more speed rather than consistency. Having that higher speed means I can compete against enemy Heatran and hit them back with Earthpower alot faster than usual.

I've also been thinking, what if I run Stealth Rock on Tyranitar instead of Heatran. I'd put it over Pursuit in that case. It just seems that alot of people are being smarter than usual and keep their shit in on Pursuit, which means I deal alot less damage, and they OHKO me with their defensive move. Plus that opens up Heatran's moveslot, allowing him to be that "lure" that I originally intended him to be.

Edit:
@Faladran: That actually sounds like a pretty good idea. I'll definitely try it out.

 

[Faladran]

What undisputed seems to have in mind is to alter this team to have more of a Toxic stall theme. A bulky water is helpful over Forretress because it helps you deal with Fire-type attacks better, but you should be fine against those considering the presence of Tyranitar, ShucaTran, and Kingdra. However, Toxic stall is a very viable and effective strategy, and SubRoost Zapdos is a great abuser of it. This playstyle may be worth trying if you find the time.

Anyway, Forretress does serve a useful purpose on the team for his ability to set up hazards and spin away the opponent's. If you decide that you like the use of Spikes better, I think that it may be a good idea to try using Forretress in the lead position. It stacks up reasonably well against common opposing leads, and can allow you to get up hazards right from the start of the match in some cases. Roserade and Forretress also have rather redundant typing, so opposing Fire-types put a lot of pressure on both of them. Therefore, a Scarf Flygon could be a great replacement for Roserade, creating a somewhat similar team setup to the one found in Rey's RMT. Flygon will clear up your weaknesses with DD Dragonite and Gyarados (if Thunderpunch is used in the fourth moveslot), two of your team's biggest weaknesses. It also really appreciates the extra entry hazard support, which can greatly increase the likelihood of an Outrage sweep late-game. One of the things I like about this change is the offensive synergy between Kingdra and Flygon. Steel-types tend to be less common now than they were in the Latias / Salamence metagame, so after Kingdra lures out and damages the opposing Steel-types, Flygon may gain a relatively clean sweeping opportunity.

Finally, be sure to have a spinblocker somewhere on the team, regardless of which path you plan to take with it. A Ghost-type is absolutely necessary on any team that relies on entry hazards to secure victory; currently, and opposing Rapid Spinner can easily come in and clear away your Spikes / Toxic Spikes, causing you to have wasted several turns setting them up. Fortunately, Rotom-A, arguably the best spinblocker in OU, is rather similar to Zapdos, so it function quite well as a replacement. The set is up to you, although I would advise you not to go with the common yet effective Choice Scarf variant, because it would leave you with too many choiced Pokemon.

Good luck with your team!

 

[ginganinja]

Agreeing with Faladran here. However I really want to stress how toxic Spikes helps the Sub Roost Zapdos set. I posted a RMT about a month back sharing my Toxic Stall team which also ran Sub Roost Zapdos which was hugely successful with Toxic Spikes. Personaly I would run SR on Heatran (or T-tar) and Toxic Spikes on Forretress but thats up to you. However I just find Toxic Spikes so useful when using Zapdos and it can help wearing down your opponent.

Have a Nice Day!

 

[undisputed]

At the higher levels, Tspikes are really bad right now. The presence of Roserade, and lately Venusaur, really makes them unusable. Also, you'd be surprised at how well Toxic does over HP Ice. I mean, isn't hp Ice there to hit Dragonite? Otherwise I really can't see its uses. But you probably know your team better than i do, so its definitely up to you. I love Sub Roost Zapdos with Toxic right now, so I guess I'm just partial to it.

 

[Acklow]

Actually, HP Ice allows me to deal with Gliscor who otherwise gives the team problems. I've tried out Faladran's suggestions and I'm coming to like them alot. Though for one, I feel like I end up suiciding with Forretress. Maybe I could run Gyro Ball or Earthquake instead of Payback (mainly concerning putting Forretress in the front). Also, I'm wondering what set should I use if I plan to use Rotom (I feel that Rotom-w would fit better, allowing me to hit quite a few poke's pretty hard with Hydro Pump, though Rotom-H is just as good). Perhaps the Defensive set, since it allows me to have some sort of way with dealing with Machamp. Anyways, thanks for the suggestions! They've been pretty helpful. I'll update the OP later on to accomodate for the changes that I've made.

 

[The Grand Babido]

Hey, this is a kinda late rate.

I just kind of saw this and had been meaning to rate it but forgot. Anyway, this is a very solid team and you have clearly put a lot of effort into the RMT. However, there are a few problems. Firstly, any form of offensive grass-type really threatens your team and your contingency plan is Shuca Heatran [for Shaymin and Celebi], whereas Breloom outright destroys you. You also have a mild Lucario weakness. There is no way to truly break stall either, and this is often a problem with defensive teams like yours.

My first suggestion would be to try a Gengar over your Rotom. I know Gengar is certainly not the most solid spin-blocker, but I think it works much better. Firstly, it resists both of Breloom's moves and can switch into offensive Shaymin or Celebi quite comfortably. If the Shaymin does Leech Seed, it means either Forretress or Heatran beat it, so it is not problematic. Substitute + Pain Split Gengar is pretty notorious at abusing entry hazards and really works well with your Heatran. Gengar is always a huge threat to stall as well.

Gengar @ Life Orb
Timid | Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpAtk / 252 Spe
Substitute / Shadow Ball / Focus Blast / Pain Split

Now, because you are running such a frail spin-blocker, I want to ensure Starmie, at the maximum, only gets one option to spin. Forretress is not a huge threat, as it does not outrun Gengar and you can try to outpredict it mid-game [where Spikes start to matter..] by switching between Gengar and Heatran. I would like you to try a Passho Berry on Heatran. If you stick to Payback on Forretress, Life Orb Starmie can only really come in on Heatran safely or after something has died. With Passho Berry, you can live the Hydro Pump and OHKO the Starmie or you can use Hidden Power as it spins. Either way, the Starmie will not be spinning again. Another option on Heatran is Magma Storm to make sure you trap Blissey.

I know Kingdra is the Pokemon you based this team around, but with Heatran and Gengar doing so well at beating / weakening special walls, and Heatran luring out bulky-waters and beating them, you could try an offensive Suicune in that spot. Against most stall teams, if your Heatran or Gengar can remove the Blissey, Suicune pretty much says 'gg' to them. Worth a shot I suppose. You could probably find a slot for Toxic Spikes on Forretress as well, by giving Heatran Stealth Rock over Earth Power, although setting 5 layers of hazards with Forretress is really hard to do.

Good team and good luck!

 

[Siegrin]

For your Tyranitar, you don't need Crunch and Stone Edge on the same set, you might try running a dragon dance tyranitar, so you can even setup sweep.